Academic literature on the topic 'African leadership challenges'

This paper explores the dynamics surrounding the executive leadership of the African Union (AU) with a specific focus on the role of the African Union Commission (AUC) and its Chairperson. It addresses the challenges and opportunities the leadership of the Commission are faced with. Among other things, the paper concludes that the African integration agenda would not be easily realised if the role, mandate and leadership of the Commission are not reconfigured. In other words, there are both structural and normative changes that are required in order to position the AUC as the nerve-centre of the continental integration agenda. In addition to the normative and structural/institutional challenges identified in the paper, the leadership of the AUC is also hamstrung by the failure of member states to fund its activities and programs. The heavy reliance on donor support undermines the principle of ownership and the ability of the leadership of the Commission to execute their mandate, even in its limited form, without hindrance. The paper concludes with a number of concrete recommendations to resolve the problems and challenges that frustrate the AUC. The recommendations also highlight a number of opportunities that could be maximised for the Commission to effectively achieve some of the core objectives and key priorities of the Union.<br>Mini Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2015.<br>Political Sciences<br>MA<br>Unrestricted

<p> Clergy leadership is identified as an immensely challenging vocation. This study proposes that challenges African American clergywomen face are exacerbated due to the combination of their ethnicity and gender. Forces such as patriarchy and gender discrimination are explicated in this study and identified as major sources of oppression for African American women in clergy leadership. This study provides historical background by exploring gender arrangements both on the African continent and in the United States, to allow the reader to understand frustrations that African American clergywomen experience as they encounter myriad challenges to emerging and thriving in clergy leadership roles within the Black church setting. </p><p> Social science literature, leadership and management studies, Theological studies, and biblical accounts are provided to offer the researcher propositions, theories, philosophies, and frameworks that aid in providing perspective and understanding of the research topic. The origin, prominence, and role of the historic African American church is also discussed extensively in the study. The African American church has been instrumental in advancing the liberation of African Americans at large, but is also directly complicit in the challenges African American clergywomen experience. As such, this study seeks to identify leadership strategies and practices employed by African American clergywomen to overcome the myriad challenges in their leadership roles. Furthermore, this study highlights how African American women in clergy leadership measure their success. The study also spotlights recommendations and lessons African American clergywomen offer to others in similar leadership positions.</p><p>

In line with its mission to promote public leadership in Africa, the UCT Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance (NMSPG) implements the Emerging African Leaders Programme (EALP). With the use of an intensive two-week residential workshop in Cape Town, integral coaching and an EALP alumni network, the programme endeavours to enhance the leadership capacity of emerging African leaders. The purpose of the EALP alumni network is to keep EALP alumni connected, enable them to have an ongoing dialogue and facilitate collaborations with the ultimate objective of making a contribution to addressing Africa's wicked challenges. A mixed method formative outcome evaluation of the networking component of the EALP was conducted. Data was collected by means of a document review, an online survey, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions involving the main stakeholders. The findings showed that the EALP alumni network had created, albeit in a suboptimal resource-constrained context, positive outcomes at individual, network, organisational and policy-making levels. The network helped to increase the self-confidence, connectivity, networking ability, networking, problem-solving and decision making capacity, learning, social capital and career prospects of EALP alumni. Furthermore, most of the EALP alumni expressed above average trust and commitment in the EALP alumni network, and, opined that efforts were made to ensure effective inclusion of all network members. On the other hand, on average, EALP alumni, were generally connected and interacted with others within their respective cohort, with mutual support and exchange of information and other resources only occasionally taking place among them. Of the sample, fifty percent of the EALP alumni experienced network cohesion. On average, EALP alumni, reported that it was easy to collaborate on the network but they had developed few productive collaborations with others. Slightly more than half of EALP alumni were satisfied with the management of the EALP alumni network and one fifth of them had fully internalised the network goal. Some positive outcomes were also noted at organisational and policy-making levels. With a view to strengthening the EALP alumni network, ensuring its sustainability and improving its effectiveness, the following recommendations have been made: formulation of a strategy and plans for the network, introduction of a monitoring, evaluation and learning system, formalisation of the network, appointment of a dedicated network manager to engage and support EALP alumni, and ongoing capacity-building.

<p> This research study sought to investigate and explain the perceptions and experiences of Ghanaian international students in the American higher education system. Four subjects enrolled at different higher education institutions in the USA participated in the study. The participants were selected based on the following four criteria: (a) they were Ghanaian international students; (b) they were 18 years of age or older; (c) they had successfully completed two years or more of post-secondary education in the USA; (d) and they were proficient in the English language. Three research questions guided the study: What are the perceptions of Ghanaian international students regarding their experiences in a higher educational institution in the USA? What factors influence these perceptions? What are the specific ways that Ghanaian international students negotiate the challenges of the American higher education system? A qualitative methodology and case study research design was utilized to collect data. Critical race theory, phenomenological theory, postcolonial identity theory, and intersectionality theory provided the theoretical framework for the study. Data collected from the 13 in-depth semi-structured interviews, researcher&rsquo;s observations, and a researcher&rsquo;s reflective journal, were coded using both open and axial codes. Thematic analysis was done vertically for each participant and across all participants&rsquo; responses. These codes were then categorized into themes and subthemes. Five themes emerged from the data analysis and these included: acculturation challenges, economic concerns, weak institutional support system, visa issues, and geography. Key influences included nationality, ethnicity, family background, religion, socioeconomic status, personality, and prior foreign travel experiences. Social networking and creating personal support systems appeared to be the most common coping strategies employed by participants. The limitations of this study included the small number of participants and the institutional type, among other factors. The implications and recommendations regarding future research are included. </p><p>

Even with the rise of racial diversity in the workplace, African American women remain underrepresented in upper management and organizational leadership positions, making up only 1% of U.S. corporate officers. The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry study was to explore the daily experiences of African American women middle managers in regard to stereotype threat and the effect of these experiences on their engagement with leadership aspirations. The narrative inquiry method was used to address this gap and answer the research question, through storytelling from African American women in middle-management positions. This study was framed by 2 key concepts that focus on minority group workplace experiences with stereotype threat and the implications of these experiences on minority group members for their engagement with leadership aspirations: Inzlicht and Kang’s concept of stereotype threat spillover and Major, Spencer, Schmader, Wolfe, and Crocker’s concept of psychological disengagement. The data-gathering process involved semistructured telephone interviews with 7 college-educated African American women, in U.S.-based organizations, in which participants told the story of their stereotype threat experiences in middle management roles. Two of the 5 key themes uncovered were impact of stereotype threat spillover and disengagement from leadership and career aspirations. The information gathered from the narrative study will help drive social change by bringing awareness to the issue and reducing threat experiences of disadvantaged groups across organizations.

<p> Researchers have noted that African American women are a triple jeopardy. They are discriminated against because of three aspects: class, race, and gender (Sanchez-Hucles &amp; Davis, 2010). In terms of education, African American women have a long history of educating other individuals, even those outside of their race (Perkins, 2015), as well as being engaged in numerous organizations to build foundations in higher education (Mosley, 1980). Additionally, African American women are leading statistics in college and university enrollment, as well as graduation rates (Howard-Vital, 1989; In Higher Education Black Women, 1997). However, African American women suffer from disadvantages of the glass ceiling in reference to obtaining leadership positions at higher education institutions (Ransby, 2000). This research has explored the disadvantages for African American women in leadership. It has been guided by the overarching research question: what are the influences, barriers, and challenges for African American women in higher education leadership positions? The study will also explore the impact of support and empowerment in guiding the success of women of color in academe.</p><p>

In recent years, it has become clear that a lot of corporate collapse can be traced down to poor leadership. As more and more black executives are climbing the corporate ladder, it is becoming all the more necessary to explore how their effective leadership development can occur with private organisations in South Africa. There are many challenges and constraints associated with the leadership development of these executives. This can be expected as they are entering an environment which has been largely white-dominated. As a result they find themselves facing the challenges of succeeding amidst negative perceptions they have experienced from their superiors and subtle pressures from subordinates. Therefore, it can only be expected that if organisations are to maintain a competitive advantage they need to understand how to effectively develop this new breed of leaders. Hence, the researcher has used a qualitative approach to investigate the complexities of the experiences of black executives in private organisations. In terms of the theoretical framework, the research focuses on some of the new approaches to leadership. It was discovered that leadership development is essentially a process that goes beyond mere training sessions, and largely involves the relationships one has within the organisation. This involves relationships with superiors, peers, and subordinates. The research indicates that if these relationships are managed effectively, leadership development is enhanced. Whilst the role of formal training programs appeared somewhat downplayed, it was clear that these programs had a strong role in terms of their psychological impact on participants. They certainly affected their perception of the organisation and their own self-efficacy. The research, therefore illustrates how there are a variety of individual and organisational attributes that form a basis for effective leadership development of blacks in private organisations. The researcher argues that if these are implemented, organisational well-being is enhanced.

Good governance is a value-laden concept that is characteristically nebulous; it can mean different things to different people, depending on the context in which it is used. The same applies to leadership. Concepts, as Pauw (1999a, 465) puts it, are ‘tools of thinking’ and contexts are ‘the environments or frameworks in which they [concepts] operate’. Lucidity in the meanings of concepts is fundamentally important for shaping debate and enriching discourses. To maintain their power, concepts must be used in their proper contexts. This necessitates an understanding of the art of contextual discourse. Good governance is used in NEPAD as a principle and emphasised as a sine qua non for sustainable development in Africa. On the other hand, NEPAD premises Africa’s re-birth or Renaissance on good governance and leadership, with a vision and commitment to repositioning the continent in global power balances. In this article good governance and leadership are considered as concepts. NEPAD is a textual context within which the two key concepts are used and should, consequently, be engaged. The article attempts a critical review of African scholarship engagement with good governance and leadership within the NEPAD context to determine the extent to which contextual discourse is practised. It further grapples with the immediate historical background to scholarship on Africa’s development between the 1960s and early 1990s. The exercise reveals that much of the accumulated body of African scholarship and scholarship on Africa’s development reviewed does not sufficiently contextualise discourse on good governance and leadership within NEPAD, and its key assessment and monitoring device, the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), and offers an alternative framework.

Thesis (MPhil (Curriculum Studies))--Stellenbosch University, 2008.<br>Background to the study: The Critical Care nursing programme at the Faculty of Health Sciences (Stellenbosch University) is a one-year programme. The practical component consists of practical procedures and case presentations. Students have limited time available in the clinical areas to reach competency in the practical skills. Students tend to use the majority of the clinical teaching time available to reach competency in these practical procedures, rather than discussing the patient and learning the skills to integrate and understand the patient’s condition and treatment, which they can acquire by doing case presentations. The end result of this misuse of clinical contact time is that some of the students, by the end of their programme, still have difficulty to integrate a patient’s diagnosis and treatment regime, although they have managed to complete the expected practical procedures. Summary of the work: A case study design was used. I wanted to investigate whether one could make use of simulation and the Clinical Skills Centre (CSC) to complete the majority of the practical procedures so that more time would be available in the clinical areas for the students to do case presentations. The study focuses on describing how the tutors and students involved experienced the use of simulation, as well as how it impacted on the available teaching time in the clinical areas. Conclusions and recommendations: Some of the most important issues that were highlighted in the study and needs to be mentioned are the following: · The students highly valued supervision by a Critical Care tutor when practising their skills in the CSC. · Students indicated that they valued the opportunity to practise some of the more risky procedures in simulation, because it presents no risk to patients. · Case presentations seem important to be added to the CSC’s practical sessions in order to attempt making the practical simulated scenarios even more realistic. · The teaching at the bedside in the clinical areas used to be done somewhat ad hoc. With the teaching in the CSC now being much more structured, this necessitates the teaching at the bedside to be revisited and to be structured to a certain extent. Summary of the results: The information obtained from the Critical Care tutors and the students indicated that these two groups were largely in agreement that simulation seems to be valuable and can effectively be used in a Critical Care nursing programme.